Katie Cadwell: Designers Must Become Critics of AI, Not Competitors

In a Creative Career Conundrums column for If You Could Jobs, branding studio co-founder Katie Cadwell argues that AI is not diminishing design thinking but changing how design is delivered. She advises design leaders to help teams audit AI-generated content, pointing out inconsistencies and indistinct outputs. Cadwell predicts the demand for content will slow, shifting back to quality over quantity. She emphasizes that human creativity and critical thinking remain irreplaceable inputs for AI, and that junior talent should be empowered as critics of AI rather than competitors. The column draws parallels to past industry shifts from print to digital and desktop to mobile.